Personal Narrative On Eating Disorders

Samantha Callahan, Department of Psychology, Lindenwood University; Danielle Patrick, Department of Psychology, Lindenwood University; Sara Roderick, Department of Psychology, Lindenwood University; Kahla Stygar, Department of Psychology, Lindenwood University.

What is a feminist approach to understanding eating disorders? Not all feminists have the same understanding of eating disorders. There are many different theories that are prevalent in feminist literature today. This web page will explore some of the different feminist perspectives about the cause of eating disorders in our culture.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Three of the most discussed are anorexia, bulimia, and what researchers call EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified). Each of the eating disorders can be fatal in their own way. What are the signs, what do they do to you and your body, and what can be done to treat the problem? Researchers have studied long and hard into these three disorders so that those questions could be answered to the best of their ability. In this paper, the outcomes of the research that was done and the thesis

There are 70 million individuals around the world and over 14 million Americans who are affected by eating disorders; of those 14 million Americans in the United States 200,000 live in Minnesota. According to the United States Census Bureau there are 5.4 million people living in Minnesota. Eating disorders are a big problem considering that 4 out of 100 people have an eating disorder, just in Minnesota. There are three main eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating. Although doctors still don’t fully understand what causes eating disorders, the disorder can affect someone's body and mind years after getting over an eating disorder (Eating Disorder).

I have always had issues with my body and my weight. This unfortunately started at a very young age for me. In grade school I was the girl who towered over everyone, and was a little more build than the typical girl my age. All the other kids in my grade looked basically the same from my point of view. There was one other girl who was the same height as me and the kids nicknamed us the “twin towers”. I remember wanting to look like anyone but me at that time. Today I am considered average height and can only wish for a pair of long legs. My paper is about my struggles with eating and exercise, and the importance of exercise and nutrition in my life.

A major setback I have faced is suffering with an eating disorder. For five years I have struggled with this illness. I have been hospitalized, and I have been in program at The Center For Change twice Finally, I told myself that I had to get better, or I was going to die. A year ago, I chose recovery. It is quite possibly the toughest challenge I will ever face, but the grueling process of recovery has allowed me to take back my life. Fortunately, I did not go through this on my own. I have been truly blessed with the best support team which includes my family, my friends, therapists, and my Stake President and doctor, Pres. Vance. I have grown into a more confident and compassionate person by helping others with eating disorders and other

In today's society, there is much attention being given to the subject of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia; unfortunately it is because these disorders seem to be becoming more and more common. The question that remains is whether eating disorders such as these are simply personal problems of the individuals, or if they have become a social problem that needs to be addressed more aggressively. Having grown up in this society, I see this issue as a definite social problem. To say that these increasingly common eating disorders are personal problems, implies that the causes of them are personal as well, which I believe is not the case. A social problem is something that goes against society's goals and values; it would seem

This past week has been heavy…. Overflowing with memories, nostalgia, reflection, grief, gratitude, despair and transcendence- all at the same time. It’s been a week of long, dark nights that meet the fresh light of new days, the wax and wane of the transformative full moon with the ebb and flow of the tide, the thawing of the frozen winter earth and the birth of new life with early spring… An inexorable negotiation with energetic forces that be.

An eating disorder is an illness that involves an unhealthy feeling about the food we eat. “Eating disorders affect 5-10 millions Americans and 70 million individuals worldwide” (www.eatingdisorderinfo.org 1). They also affect many people from women, men, children, from all ages and different races. People who have eating disorders usually see themselves as being fat when they really aren’t. This usually deals with women or teenage girls mostly. They watch television, movies, read articles in magazines, and see pictures of the celebrities whom they want to be like because they have the “ideal body” that everyone wants and craves for. The media makes us all think we need those types of bodies to be happy with ourselves, be more successful

In this school I became friends with the “ popular girls”. They didn’t accept me for me. The called me fat. They said I wasn’t pretty enough. They called me it so much I began to believe it myself. All I wanted was for them to like me. I did everything I could in order for them like me. I called my grandparents and asked for money. When I got it I spent it all of makeup and clothes. Then I tried to lose weight. I took risky precautions to do so. I then developed an eating disorder. I was bulimic for two years. In seventh grade I only weighed eighty nine pounds. I had to have someone with me at all times to make sure I wouldn’t force myself to throw up. It got so bad that I had to have a surgery to stop my gag reflex to ensure I couldn’t do

Brewerton, Timothy D. "Eating disorders, trauma, and comorbidity: Focus on PTSD." Eating disorders 15.4 (2007): 285-304.

The correlation between eating disorders and other psychological disorders is very important for our understanding of the causes and possible treatments for eating disorders. It is known that many people with eating disorders also fit the criteria for several DSM-IV psychological disorders. If researchers can find patterns of comorbidity between these two types of disorders they may be able to better diagnose and treat patients with both of these disorders. The question that I pose it what is the relationship between eating disorders and personality disorders(axis 11 disorders in DSM-IV)? It is important to look for comorbidity between the two disorders to determine the impact they have on each

I finally realized that I needed help after my parents asked me if I had an eating disorder. I felt angry when they asked me that, I didn’t speak to them for two days. It wasn’t that I was mad at them for caring, I was mad that they were noticing the wrong things. I left the room and sat in a different one for hours thinking that there was a more obvious disorder that could be present, but wasn’t acknowledged. That was the moment I realized that my quirks weren't really quirks. I finally realized that something was terribly wrong with my mental health, enough to sub consciously call it a disorder. I did more research online about OCD. Sure enough, I was a perfect match, at least according to google. I approached my parents about getting help.

attractive and the media reinforces this statement." Young adolescent girls buy into this sensation and through doing so, set themselves up for failure. When these predisposing factors are combined with stressors and pressures, the cycle is begun and an eating disorder is formed.

Eating Disorder Case Study Mother is concerned that daughter is not eating enough, restricting food intake for 8 months because she feels fat, feels she needs to lose ten pounds, feels that her thighs and stomach are to large, reporting 35 lb weight loss over last 8 months, denies any eating problems, began menarche at age 16 periods normally regular, stop three months ago, exercises daily 20 min. to 2 hours, experiences low energy, chronic constipation and lightheadedness, favorite TV show is “America’s Next Top Model” and reports “feeling down in the dumps” for about nine months, college student, good grades, finding it difficult to concentrate, admits to feeling worthless and having no